Modera Wealth Management LLC Increases Stock Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)

Modera Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 89.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 233,613 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 110,034 shares during the period. Modera Wealth Management LLC owned about 0.18% of Williams-Sonoma worth $36,191,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. EntryPoint Capital LLC raised its position in Williams-Sonoma by 520.0% in the first quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 93 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter valued at about $29,000. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, ORG Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 1st quarter worth approximately $45,000. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Williams-Sonoma news, EVP Karalyn Smith sold 11,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.66, for a total transaction of $1,494,726.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,150 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,040,099. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.27, for a total transaction of $5,810,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,030,956 shares in the company, valued at $149,766,978.12. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Karalyn Smith sold 11,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.66, for a total transaction of $1,494,726.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 15,150 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,040,099. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 2.0 %

WSM opened at $134.76 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a twelve month low of $71.56 and a twelve month high of $174.26. The firm has a market cap of $17.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.19, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.74. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $142.20 and a 200 day simple moving average of $145.69.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $1.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $1.79 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.81 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 51.57% and a net margin of 14.29%. The company’s revenue was down 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.56 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 7.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 18th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.69%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 18th. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is currently 27.39%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $232.00 to $116.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $165.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $140.83.

About Williams-Sonoma

Williams-Sonoma, Inc operates as an omni-channel specialty retailer of various products for home. It offers cooking, dining, and entertaining products, such as cookware, tools, electrics, cutlery, tabletop and bar, outdoor, furniture, and a library of cookbooks under the Williams Sonoma Home brand, as well as home furnishings and decorative accessories under the Williams Sonoma lifestyle brand; and furniture, bedding, lighting, rugs, table essentials, and decorative accessories under the Pottery Barn brand.